Bodybuilding Arnold Schwarzenegger fan inspires Afghanistan’s Hong Kong Sixes triumph

Leylah Fernandez hailed her “mental fortitude” after setting up a Pan Pacific Open title clash against Russia’s Diana Shnaider on Saturday. The world No 23 from Canada defeated Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova 7-5, 6-3 in Tokyo to reach a second final in a row. Fernandez won her first title of the season in Singapore in September and followed that up by reaching the decider last week in Ningbo, where she lost to world No 1 Elena Rybakina. In Sunday’s final, Fernandez will face 13th-ranked Shnaider...

Andrea Atzeni will be looking to take advantage of some in-form horses and good barriers when he rides the likes of last-start winners Danica’s Choice and Absolute Honour at Happy Valley on Sunday. Chief among the Sardinian jockey’s chances is the improving Danica’s Choice, who has come to life since the fitting of blinkers and goes for local win number three in the Class Three Guangzhou Handicap (1,200m). The Swiss Ace galloper is not one of Atzeni’s rides blessed with a kind draw, having to...

Nonagenarian Japanese bodybuilder ⁠Toshisuke Kanazawa took to ⁠the stage on Spain’s Costa del ⁠Maresme on Friday, aiming to prove that age is no barrier to peak physical fitness. The 90-year-old travelled to the coastal town of Santa Susanna to compete against rivals decades his junior in the masters category for athletes aged 50 and older ‌in a competition held by the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation. Backstage, Kanazawa mirrored the preparations of younger competitors, warming...

More race experience has been the key to Jumbo Blessing’s impressive winning streak and Caspar Fownes is confident the progressive sprinter can continue his momentum at Happy Valley on Sunday. The Starspangledbanner bids for a fourth consecutive victory in the Class Three Zhaoqing Handicap (1,000m) at the Valley’s only day meeting of the season after a trio of barnstorming triumphs at the course and distance. After breaking through at the end of last season under Joao Moreira, Jumbo Blessing...

As one of the Indian Premier League’s greatest, and most innovative and recognisable bowlers, Krunal Pandya is appreciating an unusual opportunity to “live a normal life” during his whistle-stop visit to Hong Kong for this weekend’s cricket sixes. “I went for a walk outside after we arrived and it was pretty good,” Pandya told the South China Morning Post. “It’s a different experience, but India is India. I know how it is.” In cricketing terms, that reality is a level of competitiveness that has...

After losing more than 120kg (265lbs) naturally through swimming and exercise, Brazilian Julio Mamute has tackled marathon events across six countries over the past year, culminating a week ago on the steep stone steps of the Great Wall of China. Having once peaked at an immobilising 310kg, Mamute told the South China Morning Post that for him, running has never been about distance or medals, but about survival. “I run to save my life,” he said. “I run to live.” On Sunday afternoon, Mamute...

More than a month after sparking public outrage by soiling herself during Hyrox Beijing, Australian athlete Joanna Wietrzyk has announced she is “super excited” about returning to competition. In a new video posted on her social media, the 24-year-old said the past several weeks gave her an opportunity to re-examine the incident and learn from it. “So I’ve had some time to reflect over the past six to eight weeks of everything that happened in Beijing,” she said, offering another apology. “I...

George Russell said one difficult Formula One ⁠season would not define ⁠his career and he still had ⁠plenty of time on his side. The Briton started the campaign as the favourite but has been eclipsed by 20-year-old Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli, who is set to clinch the title in Mexico City this weekend. “I’ve probably learned more about myself this ‌year than I would have liked, in all honesty,” Russell said on Thursday, acknowledging that Antonelli, who will be Italy’s first champion in 73...

Even Asia’s first UFC world champion, Zhang Weili, cannot escape the pressure of Chinese parents pushing her to get married. A year ago, Zhang, now 37, said she was glad her family was not rushing her to marry, preferring to focus on her fighting career and leave relationships to fate. But in an interview posted on social media this week, Zhang revealed her parents grew deeply concerned about her love life during the first half of the year, saying they were “pushing really hard”. In the...

John ‘Stingray’ Ray Onifa will tackle the Barclays MoonTrekker on Friday, but he said it was “much more difficult” to talk about navigating Hong Kong’s hills and valleys than actually doing it. And that’s despite the Philippine star, who is considered one of the best trail runners in Asia, carrying a long-term back injury that still leaves him “feeling the pain”. Onifa also has a perfect record to defend, having won the 50-kilometre race on his debut in 2018 and the 40km version five years...

In 2014, Chris Green spent two days dressed as Hulk Hogan in Hong Kong Stadium’s riotous South Stand cheering for friend Cameron Clark during the rugby sevens. The “awesome” experience gave Green a “very specific taste” of a city he has grown to “really love.” This year he is back to lead his country in the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes, a year after being in the side that reached the semi-finals. A modern-day gun for hire, the 33-year-old has played in virtually every franchise tournament going; from...

World No 1 Elena Rybakina hailed her “amazing achievement” after securing the year-end top ranking with a 6-2, 6-3 win over fellow Kazakh Yulia Putintseva in Japan on Thursday. Rybakina became the world’s top-ranked player for the first time last month in winning the US Open, replacing Aryna Sabalenka at the summit, needing only one ‌more victory this year to ensure the world No 2 Belarusian could not overtake her. She ensured she would start 2027 on top after a comfortable opening match in...